In recent times, the use of beef semen by dairy herds has gained traction. Previously, breeding beef-on-dairy was typically used to generate additional income from a few crossbred calves or as a final recourse for cows with problems becoming pregnant.

Beef embryos offer value and flexible solutions for dairies seeking to add new revenue streams and diversification opportunities. But does it work as well for dairies of different sizes?

As a dairy geneticist, I am trained to preach precision breeding for high genetic gain. Therefore, mixing multiple bulls in one semen straw felt counterintuitive. But the dairy industry is not what it was 50, 30 or even 15 years ago.

It is often said that there is never just one diet that is fed to a group of dairy cows. There is the formulated diet on paper, the mixed diet in the bunk and the diet the cows eat.

When it comes to new breeding strategies in your herd, there is a lot to navigate. How does this impact replacement inventory? What are the trade-offs? Novel strategies usually have an extra cost – right? 

A look back at the original research methods used to develop today's synchronization protocols